What did you talk about this weekend? Feeling short changed?

[WhiskeyGirl]

June is the month of weddings and graduations.  It's a time to renew family ties and talk about gossips and dreams.

What did you talk about this weekend?

Where I was, the talk was of double digit inflation, unemployed family members, investment losses in your retirement account, the fact that Social Security may be over in less than two years. 

What the hell happened to this country? 

People who took a chance on change, are being short changed.  How 'bout that double digit inflation?  Wow, isn't change great.

What did you talk about this weekend?

[A's Fever]

My oldest son graduated from university yesterday.  He started his first professional job today, at a salary greater than I would have expected for entry level, after carefully considering two offers.  His roomates and close friends have also accepted job offers, or are considering them, in some cases multiple offers.  All these young men are engineers: bio-engineering, mechanical eng, chem and electrical.  Friends in the bio sciences are all employed as well. Many expect to apply to graduate school within the year and hope to attend grad school in late 2010.  By the way, this is in California where the unemployment rate is very high. 

I attended various grad festivities and met the families of my son's roommates; we were hosted by an Iranian family and I tasted Persian food for the first time.  I met an Indian family, some Asians, and a Sri Lankan family.  Most of the fathers are engineers as well and have good jobs in So Cal or Silicon Valley.  There were no heated discussions about politics and religion, just people coming together in celebration.

The only negative thing I heard all weekend was a mention in a commencement speech that this year, much will be asked of the graduates and less will be given than in previous years.  This speech was peppered with Obama quotes to rousing applause. 

In short, the American dream, though battered, is still alive.   It pays to dream, to strive, to work hard.  It pays to educate our children.  Times are certainly tough, but there is still opportunity here.  We can complain, give up, become bitter, or we can continue to strive and move ahead as best we can.  I, for one, celebrate our young graduates and marvel at the opportunities that they have made for themselves through very hard work and perseverence.

[WhiskeyGirl]

My oldest son graduated from university yesterday.  He started his first professional job today, at a salary greater than I would have expected for entry level, after carefully considering two offers.  His roomates and close friends have also accepted job offers, or are considering them, in some cases multiple offers.  All these young men are engineers: bio-engineering, mechanical eng, chem and electrical.  Friends in the bio sciences are all employed as well. Many expect to apply to graduate school within the year and hope to attend grad school in late 2010.  By the way, this is in California where the unemployment rate is very high. 

I attended various grad festivities and met the families of my son's roommates; we were hosted by an Iranian family and I tasted Persian food for the first time.  I met an Indian family, some Asians, and a Sri Lankan family.  Most of the fathers are engineers as well and have good jobs in So Cal or Silicon Valley.  There were no heated discussions about politics and religion, just people coming together in celebration.

The only negative thing I heard all weekend was a mention in a commencement speech that this year, much will be asked of the graduates and less will be given than in previous years.  This speech was peppered with Obama quotes to rousing applause. 

In short, the American dream, though battered, is still alive.   It pays to dream, to strive, to work hard.  It pays to educate our children.  Times are certainly tough, but there is still opportunity here.  We can complain, give up, become bitter, or we can continue to strive and move ahead as best we can.  I, for one, celebrate our young graduates and marvel at the opportunities that they have made for themselves through very hard work and perseverence.

It is a good thing to dream.  What of yesterdays dreamers?  People who dreamed of a good retirement.  They educated themselves, worked hard, saved, sent their children off to school.  What has happened to their dreams?

Bernie Madoff, cap & trade taxes of 200% or more, unemployment, higher taxes, and lost dreams of a comfortable retirement.

It's a good thing not to give up and become bitter.  Perhaps the dream needs to be unchained from the clutches of government.  From the clutches of government interference and higher taxes. 

What if those job opportunities go away tomorrow?  What opportunities will these new graduates make for themselves?

I still marvel that at some blogs, there are calls for the unemployed and the 'complainers' to start their own company, find their own opportunity.

Shouldn't all Americans have the opportunity to work hard?  Find a good job at fair wages?  Or, should they look to government for a hand out?  Should eveyone be expected to work hard and make opportunities for themselves?

Does it pay to dream, work hard, and watch while government taxes away your effort?  Digs deeper into your pocket and giving it away to others?

Past generations educated their children.  Government is taxing and spending away their opportunities to save for a better future.

In ten years, what will those dreamers be thinking when government starts digging even deeper into their pockets to pay for the spending and deficits?

Are anyone's dreams safe when government is out of control?  Spending like their is no tomorrow?

[WhiskeyGirl]

Education was another topic of discussion.  Why do children spend so much time learning about things that don't matter?  In one case, a whole semester learning about families.

One person was upset because his child wasn't learning basic math.  The teacher told the students that their parents should be teaching them these things.  It was basic division.

Should the job of schools get back to basics?  Teach for the challenging jobs in engineering and the sciences?  It is disheartening to see that more and more advanced degrees go to foreign students.  What happened to the American students?  They're in a class studying families or maybe a dysfunctional math class.  What happened to basics?

I seem to recall that for many years, educational systems in other countries don't spend money on 'fluff'.  If you want to be athletic or artistic, your parents pay extra and it's after school.  School is for the basics.

The distressing state of education in America was a topic.  Basics don't need more money, they just need smarter use of the resources available.

jmho

[Tracy1]

My family talked about the ongoing threat of these rogue nations and the fact that our President is doing nothing!

We talked about the elections in Iran, that we believed would be fixed...as it turns out, they are.

We talked about the ongoing threats from N. Korea.

We talked about Obama's support of Muslim nations and his lack of support for Israel, our strongest ally in the area and the ONLY democracy.

I am baffled as to what he thinks he is doing.  But I predict that Americans will stand for this only for so long.  Then it will all be over for the Messiah.  Americans don't like getting pushed around by totalitarian rogue nations.

Remember Jimmy Carter's administration?  He was loved than came to be hated.  It is beginning to happen now.

Praise the Lord!

[WhiskeyGirl]

I think it's great that new graduates are getting incredible job and salary offers.  The second part to the great job search is the first check.  I know many new college graduates for the past 10-20 years that just about faint when they get that first check and see how deep Uncle Sam and the states take from their check. 

For some reason, they think the taxes will be about what they pay for their part time job...

Hopefully, they haven't gone out and rented expensive apartments, bought a new car, and other lifestyle items based on the job offer 'gross' pay.

After taxes, they will get much less.  The Obama taxes for everything haven't started hitting the working class yet, so they have that to look forward too, along with the rest of us.

jmho

[Gizzie]

This is a very long post, and I apologize in advance. It's a letter that was read on Glen Beck last night. I didn't know where else to post it, and I hope it's ok to post it here. I found it to be very interesting...


                                                  **************************


I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

Glenn Beck's Common Sense
Now available in book stores nationwide...

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when hewill rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

[nonesuche]

A's fever I truly am thrilled to hear that your son and his friends have found wonderful jobs as they exit college. Engineering remains in demand which is a blessing, if you are a left brainer capable of that. I only hear of the grads in our area, some from top universities like Duke, that cannot find a job. Competition for grad and law school is quite fierce now, far tougher than a year ago. So many have no alternative but to pursue education when there are so few jobs to be had. Of course like CA, my state is in the top five for unemployment currently.

So please know their experience is not the experience of business or liberal arts grads. I worry what this does to the psyche of a generation who has competed harder for grades and academics from elementary school forward than any that preceded it?

WhiskeyGirl, I don't know if you watched Obama's press conference today but there were two very disturbing moments that I will not soon forget. One, his response that he plans to watch Iran "play out" without a direct response to murder in the streets for one's political beliefs? He also mocked, laughed and mocked that reporter when they asked pertinent and important questions related to how he plans to finance the glory healthcare plan.

Gizzie- I think most on this board would consider Beck to be only a republican and nothing else but I think your post is very thought provoking. Recently my mother was visiting and she's followed politics with great zest for all of her life, a very committed voter. I found I couldn't even muster the desire to discuss it. I told her I don't feel I have representation in Washington anymore, that it's all a ruse. Even our most recent governor is now under federal investigation and I just do not see any less corruption in the democratic party than the republican party currently. I think both truly have destroyed the concept of true public service for our elected officials. I just hope not forever, I hope we come to our senses and hold their feet to the fire instead of pledging allegiance to the "wordsmith".

[WhiskeyGirl]

This past weekend, the end times, 2012, and the anti-Christ were hot topics of discussion.  For some reason, folks there were never religious got religion when looking around at the times.  Its the president, the economy, the state of the world, and now the 2012 predictions.  Only the prospect of living long enough to live through the end/destruction/the return of Jesus motivates these folks to live a few more years. 

In we spend so much more than other nations on healthcare, and our system is so much worse, why does Barack want to spend more?  Who's going to pay in 2015 for all his spending?  How will they pay for all the expended benefits, and current healthcare spending?  Any common sense left in Washington?

Maybe big government, expanding government, and it's leaders really are the anti-Christ, the Great Satan, the harbinger of the end of human existence on planet earth?